was an icon of postwar style and queen of a
dazzling world that stretched from the ateliers
of Paris to the White House and on to
Hollywood. With her sparkling social circle
including Nancy Reagan, Joan Collins, Joan
Rivers, Lauren Bacall and Nan Kempner, she
was a consummate hostess, her lunches as
lavish and meticulously choreographed as any
blockbuster production.
Perhaps it was just as well that her
businessman husband Alfred almost single-
handedly invented the credit card, coming up
with the so-called Dine and Sign concept,
which meant the well-to-do on a night out no
longer needed to carry large sums of cash.
Here his grandson James fondly recalls the
grandparents who brought swagger and style
to sun-soaked southern California.
James, your grandmother Betsy was one of the
most elegant and iconic women of her time...
“As a child, I knew that she was somehow
different from other grandmothers. She was
always travelling and she always had interesting
guests over for dinner. I remember how our
family lunches at home were supposed to be
‘informal’, but I have to say they were simply
perfect. As a child, of course, there were lots ofWith her social circle including Joan Collins,
Joan Rivers and Lauren Bacall, Betsy
Bloomingdale was a consummate hostess
The drinks cabinet houses artworks and Milanka tequila shot glasses
(above). Above the fireplace (below) is a reproduction of Frederick Hart’s
Creation of Mankind tympanum from the Washington National Cathedral8